Walk Amsterdam’s De Baarsjes
This walk will take you to the Baarsjes, a part of Amsterdam West. This neighborhood contains some of the best coffee bars, restaurants, and parks. Escape the city in Rembrandtpark and Erasmuspark where the beautiful trees will provide some shadow and cool air. The route includes some of the cutest animals the baarsjes has to offer, containing a small petting zoo and a Cat cafe, where you will be able to admire and cuddle some furry friends. This weekly walk will cover a lot of ground, but also offers plenty of opportunity to take a break for a coffee and something sweet. Make sure you wear your best walking shoes and let’s go!
Enjoy your walk!
Distance: 4km
Total Walking Time: 54 min
Calories: 344
Directions: Hit this Link, then click the top right corner of the map to open full screen in Google Maps
FYI: the technology behind Google Maps is sometimes a bit shaky, so sometimes you need to click the link more than once, or zoom in to get the route view. Apologies for the inconvenience.
Route Highlights
Best Roast en Route: White Label Coffee
These specialty coffee makers from Amsterdam know everything about the coffee bean. They grow, harvest, and sell their own coffee. They work together with restaurants, coffee bars, offices and cafes from all over the world. Besides just ordering a coffee you also have the possibility to bring some home to enjoy on a lazy Saturday morning. Enjoy your freshly brewed coffee with one of their amazing pastries before, during or after your walk.
Highlight A: Bolwerk Weesp
In my personal opinion, Rembrandt park is one of the best parks in Amsterdam. It covers a lot of ground and is even bigger than Vondelpark. Unlike Vondelpark, the nature in the Rembrandtpark is a little less preserved, which sometimes gives it more of a forest feel. The park is not as busy as other nearby parks, which makes going here feel more like you are actually escaping the busy city center. The park is great for walks, sport or picnics with your friends.
Highlight B: Uylenburgh Kinderboerderij
The Uylenburgh kinderboerderij, a tiny petting zoo in the middle of the Rembrandtpark, was named after Saskia Uylenburgh. Saskia was the wife of Rembrandt, the Dutch painter from the 17th century. Here you will find all sorts of animals, such as donkeys, goats, rabbits, chickens, and much more. This tiny petting zoo is fun to visit for all ages (I go there all the time). When it is open, you will be able to buy some food for the animals, for just 50 cents.
Highlight C: De School
This is one of the cooler places in the city. The School owes its name to the prior function of this building. The old School was transformed into an entertainment center in 2016. With a young management team, a beautiful location, and with a building that offers so many opportunities, this quickly became a young creative center. Today, it houses a restaurant, cafe, gym, and formerly a club. De School is one of the many creative outlets of the city. It is often used as the location for different art exhibitions and tiny festivals. A location that has to be on your bucket list!
Highlight D: Terrasmus
In the middle of the Erasmuspark you’ll find a small, cute wooden house and a tiny summer terrace with the amusing name Terrasmus. This little terrace is a great place to get your breakfast, lunch or coffee, whilst being able to escape the busy city of Amsterdam. You can order some of the best local beers or bread from one of the best bakeries in Amsterdam: bakkerij Mama.
Highlight E: Miracle garden
The miracle garden is an artwork by Elspeth Diederix with some of the craziest flowers you’ve ever seen. Most of these flowers were designed and created in the lab, with the use of genetic manipulation. This flower garden is the basis for the miracle series, an art project where photography, biology and the beauty of nature go hand in hand. This is the perfect place to take your date and show off your garden knowledge.
Highlight F: Cats and Cupcakes
This crossing offers two very interesting places, each on their own street corner. First, you have Kattencafe Kopjes, a small cat cafe inspired by the cat cafes from Japan, South Korea and New York. This is the purrrfect place for you to enjoy time with some furry friends whilst enjoying some amazing coffee and delicious pastries. The interior of the cafe is designed as a cat paradise. You will be able to play with, look at, or even cuddle the seven cats walking around.
Across the street, you will find the Amsterdam Cupcake Company. Here you will be able to find some of the prettiest and tastiest cupcakes of Amsterdam. They also make vegan and gluten free cupcakes, so everyone is able to enjoy them. Make sure you hop in and admire and taste their beautiful work of art!
Highlight G: Tribute to an old Mayor
On the Mercatorplein, you’ll find a grey wall, with a big graffiti art piece. This artwork is a tribute to the late mayor of our city, Eberhard van der Laan. Van der Laan was the leader of the city, but most of all considered one of us. The love for this mayor was as great as his love for Amsterdam. Sadly, Van der Laan was diagnosed with cancer in 2013. After first beating the disease, all seemed to go well, until a spread was discovered in 2017. This is when he decided to take a step back from his function. He announced his decision in an open letter to the people of Amsterdam. This was followed by hundreds of Amsterdammers going to his house the next day to hold a standing ovation and sing in his honor. Quickly after, Van der Laan was offered the Gold Medal of Amsterdam. Shortly after he lost his battle. Eberhard, we miss you!
Your Fav Hidden Gems
The above highlights are just some of our favorite spots along the way. If something catches your eye while en route, share a picture with us so we can share with the group next week. Email is the best.
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